This invention relates to containers and more particularly to containers of the type including a rigid pallet and a tubular sleeve upstanding from the pallet.
Pallet and sleeve containers are in common usage and may be used for storing either bulk material or discreet free standing articles. In either case it is often necessary or desirable to stack a plurality of loaded containers. The extreme weight imposed in the stack, particularly on lower containers in the stack, makes it necessary to insure that the sleeves, especially of the lower containers, are not damaged by the extreme compressive loading in the stack.
One arrangement to prevent sleeve damage in a container stack has been to provide a rigid plastic lid to fit over the top edge of each sleeve in the stack so that the sleeves of successive containers in the stack remain in alignment and the compressive loading is transferred to the support surface for the stack. In scenarios where a lid is otherwise necessary to protect the container contents the use of the lid does not impose any penalty. However, where a lid is not necessary to protect the contents the need for a lid to allow stacking of the containers complicates the container construction, complicates the container inventory requirements, and imposes a significant cost penalty.